Where to Begin?

Before the Gold medal Hockey game between Canada and the USA started they did a report on CTV showing that some people had been offered upwards of $5000 for their tickets and had opted to keep them rather than sell. This sparked a debate between my roommates and I as to whether or not we would sell the tickets had we been in that position.

I said that for $5000 I would sell my ticket in a heartbeat. I am officially an idiot.

That was one of, if not the most, exciting hockey games ever. It was a perfect storm of atmosphere, importance, participants, venue and stakes that came together to form the ultimate sporting event.

A Hollywood film writer couldn't have written a better script. It was Canada vs our arch rivals the USA. It was in our unofficial national sport. It took place on Canadian soil. And it took place at the Olympics. What more could any hockey fan or a red-blooded Canadian for that matter ask for?

If Canada won the game then we would set the record for most Gold medals won at a single Winter Olympic games with 14 and we would shut up every smart mouthed American (like this doucher) who talked trash when they beat us in the preliminaries last week. Needless to say this was the most important hockey game since the Summit Series.

I can't think of one person I talked to today that didn't mention the game. Whether it was friends on MSN/Facebook or even the girl at Subway who made me my Coldcut Combo everyone was excited and with good cause. This game had been anticipated since last week when we lost to the Americans. After each of our wins the fans would chant, "WE WANT USA!" Revenge was on everyones mind and today we got our chance to remind everyone around the world, and especially those in the US, whose game they are playing.

From the opening whistle to the moment Crosby's shot hit the back of the net in overtime it was a great game. Both teams came out fired up and the game was fast paced and physical. When Canada went up 2-0 I thought the game was over. It seemed that the Americans had no momentum and that another Canadian goal was inevitable.

Then Ryan Kesler scored on a weak tip in that Luongo should have had and from that moment on my heart didn't stop racing. For the rest of the game I was nervous, anxious and genuinely scared there would be a repeat of what happened against Slovakia. I thought the team might collapse and give up another goal late. Turns out I was right.

Former NHL Insider Stevie P put it best when he said, "with 30 seconds left, Luongo panics."

As a Canucks fan I wanted to blame Weber and Niedermayer for the defensive breakdown but I just couldn't. If Luongo had gloved that dump in properly then that whole scramble wouldn't have happened and Canada more than likely would have closed out the game in regulation. But then where would the excitement be in that?

What was said in the Canadian dressing room after the 3rd period we will probably never know but I can only assume it was one of the veterans like Pronger or Niedermayer who stepped up and somehow got the Canadian team to go out and not lay down. The fact that Canada came back and won after giving up that devastating goal is one of the more remarkable aspects to the game.

When the overtime period began I could hardly breathe. Every time there was a whistle or break in play I switched over to the Michigan State/Purdue game just to calm down. The fact that everything Team Canada had accomplished at these Olympic games could have been wiped away with 1 American goal worried me to no end. 13 gold medals was truly amazing but all of them combined don't equal the value of the gold medal in Mens hockey.

Then in one swift movement by Sidney Crosby it all goes away.

All the nervousness, fear, anxiety and worries all fade away and are overtaken by pure joy. The heart beat slows down and you no longer worry that you may have a heart attack at the age of 22. With one movement of his stick Sidney Crosby allowed all of Canada to let out first a collective sigh of relief and then a yell of pure happiness.

In that same moment Crosby cemented himself as the best hockey player on the planet. In the span of 8 months Crosby became the youngest Captain to lead his team to a Stanley Cup victory and also scored the game winning goal in the Olympics. Meanwhile Ovechkin lost to Crosby in the Eastern Conference Semi-Final and then was eliminated by Canada in the Quarter-Finals at these Olympics.

But the importance of this game goes far beyond the legacy of Crosby. He was only one of many young players to have an impact. Jonathan Toews was all over the ice and was voted Team Canada MVP by the IIHF. Drew Doughty (20 years old) and Duncan Keith (24 years old) were Canada's best defensemen throughout the tournament and guys like Corey Perry and Ryan Getzlaf showed why Lecavalier and St. Louis were left off the roster.

In the words of Joe Rogan there was a "changing of the guard" tonight as the old guys like Niedermayer, Pronger (who both had their best games of the tournament tonight) and Brodeur listened as the names of Luongo, Toews and Crosby got the loudest cheers from the crowd at Canada Hockey Place.

But there is time to dwell on that later. Right now all that matters is that Canada won the gold medal. My window is open and the horns have not stopped honking and the people haven't stopped cheering even though the game ended more than 3 hours ago. The 20 minute post game celebration where the Canadian players took turns carrying that massive Canadian flag around the ice was the most compelling television I have watched in a long time.

I will remember this game forever. When I am 80 years old and wearing adult diapers I will tell whoever will listen about the time Team Canada beat the Americans in Vancouver to win Olympic gold. Actually just thinking about the Crosby goal is giving me goosebumps.

Today was a great day for hockey and a great day for Canada. Never before has the Canadian national anthem sounded so sweet.

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